This invention relates generally to fabrics that have been napped to yield physical and aesthetic properties that were previously unavailable. More particularly, in a preferred embodiment, this invention relates to woven fabrics of specific constructions that have been hydraulically napped in accordance with the teachings herein. Such fabrics exhibit many highly desirable characteristics, such as relatively high strength, an exceptionally soft and compliant hand, and other qualities that make such fabrics particularly well suited to use in a variety of applications, including use as napery fabrics, with the additional important benefit that such qualities remain, and in some cases are significantly enhanced, after multiple washings.
Practical methods for increasing the utility or desirability of textile fabrics are constantly sought by the textile industry. Of particular interest are fabrics and processes that are developed for end uses that share a common set of physical or aesthetic requirements. Through the use of creative fabric constructions and fabric processing techniques, fabrics that are especially well suited to specific end uses can be developed.
For example, the use of fabrics made from cotton or linen in napery (tablecloths, napkins, and the like) and related culinary or restaurant applications (aprons, etc.) is well knownxe2x80x94the combination of hand, absorbency, drape, and other characteristics made these natural fiber fabrics the traditional fabrics of choice. In recent years, however, fabrics made from synthetic fibers, with their durability, dimensional stability (resistance to wash shrinkage) and resistance to shade changes (due to staining or fading from repeated laundering), have developed a strong following in the marketplace. These new fabrics, however, have not always shown clear superiority in several performance areas that are of fundamental importance, such as hand, drape, resistance to pilling and snagging, and wicking (moisture transport). While such fabrics can be made soft and relatively pleasant to the touch, the necessary conventional processing usually involves mechanical napping or sanding processes that tend to cut or damage fibers and thereby degrade the structural integrity of the fabric yarns and, ultimately, the overall strength and durability of the fabric. Furthermore, such processes can decrease moisture absorption and increase the likelihood of snagging and pilling. Fabric constructions or finishing processes that can impart superior drape and a soft, long-lasting feel to fabrics containing synthetic fibers without these additional shortcomings have been long sought.
Among the fabric processing techniques of the prior art that have been used in an attempt to achieve this result is the use of pressurized streams of water or other fluids. For example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,952 to Willbanks, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a process for use with a polyester or polyester/cotton woven fabric by which a nap is raised primarily from warp yarns, and to a lesser extent from the fill yarns, by means of a hydraulic napping process in which discrete streams of high velocity water are directed onto the fabric as the fabric is held against a solid roll or other suitable support member.
Advantages of this, and perhaps other hydraulic napping processes of the prior art, as compared to conventional wire napping or sanding processes in which wires or abrasives are used to raise a nap or pile from the surface yarns, include the following: (1) the individual yarns comprising the fabric are not cut or otherwise damaged, but instead are merely rearranged (e.g., tangled) and extended from the plane of the fabric; (2) because of the lack of yarn damage, the strength of the fabric is not significantly impaired; (3) the nap raised tends to be uniform in height and density on the fabric side facing the roll; (4) because no shearing operation is needed, as would routinely be used for conventionally napped fabrics, fabric weight (per unit area) is preserved and other properties such as cover (i.e., relative light opacity) and absorbency can be enhanced as compared with fabrics that require a shearing step; and (5) limited nap raising occurs on the opposite side of the fabric (that side facing the water streams), although not to the same extent as occurs on the side facing the roll, thereby imparting a napping effect to both sides of the fabric at the same time, even though the streams impact one side only.
It has been found that, in spite of these advantages over conventional napping processes, these hydraulic processes of the prior art can affect the fabric in ways that are difficult to predict, resulting in non-uniform treatment and other processing shortcomings.
When the specific hydraulic napping process as described herein is used in conjunction with a specifically engineered fabric, also as described herein, the result is a fabric that displays a variety of desirable characteristics including high strength, high wash durability, color fastness, a soft and pliant hand with excellent subjective xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d, superior wicking, and high resistance to pilling and snagging. It is believed that hydraulically napped fabrics possessing this unique combination of properties may be particularly desirable in many textile market areas, including, but not limited to, indoor and outdoor apparel, home furnishings (including shades and draperies, bed and table linens, upholstery fabrics, and toweling), and their commercial hospitality counterparts. One specific application in the commercial hospitality area to which fabrics of this invention have been found to be particularly well suited is that of commercial napery. However, because of the high degree of superiority shown by the fabrics of this invention in a variety of important fabric performance parameters, it is contemplated that other market areas may also benefit from fabrics of the instant invention, even if one or more of the specific advantages listed above are not of paramount importance in those markets.